Again, 2022 was a pretty strong year for watching Anime for me. I don’t think I got as much as 2020 and 2021, but there were a number of new shows I checked out. But what were the Top 5 that stood out to me? It’ll take me a bit to sift through them all, but I think there were some standouts from this past year. And these aren’t all new to 2022, but they are ones that I checked out for the first time this year.

Top 5 Anime of 2022

5. Rising of the Shield Hero

This one I had started before 2022, twice, and then I stopped. Mainly because the first episode, it’s a little bit rough. In fact, the whole anime has some rougher qualities than others mainly just with some crassness that you expect from anime but no so much how it’s done. And the protagonist takes a little bit to get on board with. But the show itself is pretty interesting.

And it’s one that I need to dive into more of it, I think I’ve only watched the first season. But I want to know what is going to happen next for the characters. And the story with it starting in a rough spot and generally on a down note is pretty good at lifting itself back up. And I think a good story should do that, give the hero challenges to overcome and it’s big one that’s dropped into the lap of the Shield Hero.

4. Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games

We know that I like Isekai, and well, this one qualifies. The main character dies and finds himself in the dating sim that he had just finished beating for his sister. It’s a silly show where the main character is just trying to hide in the background. He doesn’t want to be noticed, but he knows a few things about the game, so he also doesn’t want to have a hard life. So, he is one of the most annoying characters, ever, but in a way that works perfectly for the show.

And the whole plot of the show, it works pretty well, as well. There are a lot of dumb elements to it, but a lot of that comes from it being an otome game. It just has a lot of over the top things, and drama placed in the show for the sake of drama. Again, it works really well, because that’s what the show wants to be. It makes you feel the main characters frustrations.

3. Couple of Cuckoos

This one was hard to pick, mainly because there are a few where I have been watching them as they come out. This one, isn’t one of those, but I’m also not fully caught up on it. A Couple of Cuckoos is about two kids switched at birth that then, their parents decide to arrange their marriage when they figure out what happened. But of course they come from very different parts of the world, one family is rich while the other runs a little family restaurant and lives in a small apartment.

So how will the two of them make things work out? Is this even an arrangement that either of them want or is this doomed to fail? And what happens when one of the main characters likes someone else already? The show is just light and fun, and while it has some moments that are a bit too far out there or too “anime” for lack of a better term, for the most part it is a sweet show.  

2. My Senpai is Annoying

This is a really cute anime that I wasn’t sure what it would be. The premise is fun, Futaba is very small and her boss, he’s very large. So they are an odd couple who get off on the wrong foot when he thinks she’s a kid there to take a tour. But as they work together, they bug each other but start to realize that they kind of like each other. This and the next one really are similar that way.

The story is done in vignettes so not too many things run through a lot of the story. But that is some of the charm.  You pick-up with the characters and feel like you’re just seeing a little bit into their lives. And that just makes the show sweet and fun to watch. Some anime give you big action and drama, others are more like a warm blanket to settle in and be cozy with. My Senpai is Annoying is definitely one of those.

1. Komi Can’t Communicate

This one kind of came out of nowhere for me, I saw it on Netflix, thought it’d be a cute anime for my wife and myself to watch, and I was very impressed. Clearly, since Komi Can’t Communicate is my #1. This is just a delightful anime about a girl who has a nervous condition where it freaks her out to speak. She meets a classmate who is new who doesn’t look at her as odd or aloof because of it and they start to grow a friendship. He learns about Komi’s goal of making 100 friends and decides to help her.

Now, there are some really weird parts of this as well. Some vignettes since it’s generally done that way, aren’t as good. But other parts are so sweet, and the whole thing just feels pretty wholesome. Again, there are weird parts, but for the two main characters, it is just a wholesome and fun story.

What Were Your Favorites?

Let me know which ones that I need to checkout? Chainsaw Man is on the list for ones that I want to watch as is Demon Slayer. Of course then there is a plethora of other anime that I should catch up on, plus new ones coming out in 2023. That list is going to be coming soon.

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